By Elliott West
“I couldn’t wait to get to the club every morning – imagine being paid to do something you love!”
Bill Cornish
Introduction
Bill Cornish is better known for being the former manager of the famous snooker club in Camden Town. However, tragedy struck when Bill had a serious motorcycle accident and sustained serious injuries as a result. Some people may have shunned normality due to this massive shock to the system and a complete change of lifestyle but not Cornish. A man who doesn’t have the word can’t’ in his vocabulary, Bill is someone who never gives up and instantly decided to travel down the path of recovery.
Carpe Diem
What is so impressive about Bill Cornish is his sheer sense of determination. Cornish may have been struck by tragedy but he was hell-bent on leading a normal life once more. The answer to this physical quandary was by taking Tai Chi. A physical goal that would take him on a twelve-year journey but one that was clearly bolstered by using this ancient martial art as part of his recuperation process. His main target was to be able to pick up a snooker cue again.
Bill loved his job in the snooker club and it gave him a sheer sense of pride and purpose. However, this was all shattered the day he fell off his motorbike on the way home from the club. Cornish suffered some serious injuries, splintering both wrists, severely bruising his back and torn ligaments in both legs. An accident that left him lying on his back for four months and left Bill with severe tremors in his hands. At this stage, it seemed high doubtful whether he would be able to pick up a cue and play snooker again.
However then Cornish was introduced to Tai Chi and its recuperative powers. Through many sessions of this art, he was surprised to find that he regained control of his hands and eventually was able to pick up a cue again. Snooker had been a major part of Cornish’s life ever since he first took it up at the age of 18. A love that caused him to be on the verge of being a professional player in his early twenties but sadly never came to fruition.
Cornish became so proficient at the Chinese martial art that he was soon in the championship class and went on to teach the art at St John’s Church, Palmers Green near his home. Bob would also reach his goal of playing snooker again. A small blessing to compensate him for the professional career he was about to embark on prior to the accident in the 1990s
Sadly his former snooker club closed down like so many over the years and Bill had to make a career change. This came in the form of becoming a black taxi driver at the age of 61. His snooker club is now a music shop but the club was the dream-child of two Jewish men, John Lazarus and Antony Samis. A successful club that was killed off by parking restrictions in the Camden area, driving customers away and making the club close its doors for good.
